For Ukrainian shuttlers Polina Buhrova and Yevheniia Kantemyr, competing at the ongoing World Championships in New Delhi is a way to showcase the resilience of a country battling the invasion by Russia.
Lives have been turned upside down since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and as for many of her compatriots, the conflict remains an everyday reality for Buhrova.
"It's still really, really bad," the Kharkiv-born player told reporters.
"It's really hard, but that also gives me a lot of power and I'm really proud to represent my country as a fighter, and show how Ukraine is fighting, believing and growing."
Buhrova said elite training had become impossible in Ukraine, forcing the national squad to find a base in Italy.
"When the war started, I was in Ukraine," she said. "We were practising under the bombs. An alarm would go and you needed to throw everything on the floor and run to the shelter."
Her doubles partner Kantemyr, who left Ukraine as a teenager and is also now based in Italy, said being able to compete internationally carried added significance.
"We're happy that we can represent (Ukraine) at a high level and show good results and make the country proud," she said.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) last month provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, a significant step towards Russia's return ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Kantemyr called it "a big mistake" by the IOC, adding she held nothing personal against individual competitors.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry has said athletes should not be held accountable for the actions of their governments and that the Olympic body would continue supporting Ukraine while not condoning war.
The World Championships run through August 23 in New Delhi.
